Time Team Series 2 Episode 1: Lord of the Isles was filmed between 24 Jun 1994 and 26 Jun 1994 was filmed. It was originally shown on 08 Jan 1995.

Location: Finlaggan, Islay [Map]

Category: Time Team Prehistory, Time Team Early Medieval.

The Time Team:

Tony Robinson (age 48), Presenter

Mick Aston (age 48), Bristol University Landscape Archaeologist

Carenza Lewis (age 31), Royal Commission on Historic Monuments

Phil Harding (age 44), Wessex Archaeological Trust Field Archaeologist

Robin Bush (age 51), Archivist

Victor Ambrus (age 59), Historical Illustrator

John Gator, Chris Gaffney, Geophysics

Stewart Ainsworth (age 43), Landscape Archaeologist

David Caldwell, Director of Excavations

Kate Bonner, Excavation Team

Sally Ann Chandler, Period Clothing Expert

Donald Macfadian, Finlaggan Trust

Simon Mears, GPS System

Historical Figures: King Somerled of Argyll

Sources: Chronicle of Man and the Isles, A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland by Martin Martin, A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland by Martin Martin.

Outcomes: Partly complete Glass Bead, Replica aketon, possible mesolithic site, possibly stone rows aligned to Paps of Jura.

Channel 4 Episode

Description of the Western Isles. Loch-Finlagan [Map], about three miles in circumference, affords salmon, trouts, and eels: this lake lies in the centre of the isle. The isle Finlagan, from which this lake hath its name, is in it. It is famous for being once the court in which the great Macdonald, King of the Isles, had his residence; his houses, chapel, etc., are now ruinous. His guards de corps, called Lucht-taeh, kept guard on the lake side nearest to the isle; the walls of their houses are still to be seen there.

Description of the Western Isles. The Names of the Churches in this Isle are as follows:

KIL-CHOLLIM Kill, St. Columbus his church near Port Escock, Kil-Chovan in the Rins, on the west side the isle; Kil-Chiaran in Rins, on the west side Nerbols in the Rins, St. Columbus his church in Laggan, a chapel in island Nave, and Kilhan Alen, north-west of Kilrow. There is a cross standing near St. Columbus's or Port Escock side, which is ten feet high. There are two stones set up at the east side of Loch-Finlagan [Map], and they are six feet high. All the inhabitants are Protestants; some among them observe the festivals of Christmas and Good Friday. They are well proportioned and indifferently healthful. The air here is not near so good as that of Jura, from which it is but a short mile distant; but Islay is lower and more marshy, which makes it liable to several diseases that do not trouble those of Jura. They generally speak the Irish tongue; all those of the best rank speak English; they use the same habit and diet with those of Jura. This isle is annexed to the Crown of Scotland. Sir Hugh Campbell of Caddell is the King's steward there, and has one half of the island. This isle is reckoned the furthest west of all the isles in Britain. There is a village on the west coast of it called Cul, i.e., the back part; and the natives say it was so called because the ancients thought it the back of the world, as being the remotest part on that side of it. The natives of Islay, Colonsay, and Jura say that there is an island lying to the southwest of these isles, about the distance of a day's sailing, for which they have only a bare tradition. Mr. MacSwen, present minister in the isle Jura, gave me the following account of it, which he had from the master of an English vessel that happened to anchor at that little isle, and came afterwards to Jura, which is thus: